Rationale:To become fluent readers,
children
need to learn how to read faster, smoother, and more
expressively.
Fluency refers to a student's ability to read words accurately and
automatically. In this lesson, students will learn how to read
quickly,
smoothly, and expressively in order to gain fluency. It has been
proven
that the more students read the more their reading skills will improve.
Students
will gain fluency through repeated readings, timed readings, and
one-minute
reads.

Materials:

Chalk

Stopwatch
for
each pair of students

Pencil
for each
student

Copy
of the book Go,
Dog. Go! for each student

Race Track
progress chart for each student

Die
cut car for
each student

List
of
comprehension questions for each student

1.What
size are the
dogs in the book?

2.What
color are
the dogs in the book?

3.Where
are the
dogs going?

4.What
had did the
dog like at the end of the book?

Crayons
for each
student

Construction
paper for each student

Procedure:

1."Today
we are going to learn how to be a
fluent reader by reading words correctly as fast as we can."
Explain to
the students what it means to be a fluent reader and the steps they
must take
to become a fluent reader. "The word fluency means having the
ability
to read words correctly, without hesitation, and quickly. Once
you become
a fluent reader, you will enjoy reading more because you will
understand what
you are reading."

2. Model
for the students how to read with fluency.
“First, I am going to read you a sentence without fluency."
Write
on the board the following sentence: The dog ran up a hill.
“The
d-o-g r-a-n u-p the h-i-ll. Now I am going to read the sentence
as a
fluent reader. The dog ran up the hill. Did you hear the
difference
between reading with fluency and reading without fluency? Listen
as I
read the sentence once again. The dog ran up the hill. This
time I
read the sentence faster because it was not the first time I had read
these
words. The first two times I read the sentence gave me practice
and
helped me read the sentence fluently the third time."

3. "The
story you will be reading to practice becoming
a fluent reader is Go, Dog. Go! As you read you do not
want to
skip any words or read them incorrectly but read every word correctly
while
reading at a fast pace." Model reading Go, Do. Go!
aloud as
a fluent reader for the students.

4.
Remind students to cross check if they do not
automatically recognize a word during their reading. "Do not
forget
that cross checking is a tool that fluent readers use to make sense of
the
sentences that they read and to read more successfully. If you do
not
automatically recognize a word cover-up part of the word to make it
easier to
sound out. Once you have determined the pronunciation of the
word, go
back and reread the sentence to see if the word makes sense in the
sentence. If the word does not make sense in the sentence, you
can change
your guess to a word that fits the sentence. If you and your
partner
cannot figure out how to pronounce a word correctly, come ask me and I
will
help you figure it out."

5. "Now
that you have heard me read the book as a
fluent reader, you are going to practice reading fluently with a
partner." Divide the students up into groups of two and give each
student
a copy of the book. "Once you are seated next to your partner,
pick out
your six favorite pages in the book that you will read to each other."

6. "To
keep record of our progress in becoming a
fluent reader, each of you will have your own "race track" progress
chart." Give each student a "traffic light" progress chart and a
die cut
car. The "race track" progress chart is simply a piece of
construction
paper with a race track on it. Also, give each pair of students a
stopwatch. Explain to the students how to use the progress
chart. "The goal of this activity is to see how fast you can read
the pages you have
chosen in order to move your car from the red light to the green light
on the
chart. You will each take turns reading the six pages to your
partner. While
you read, your partner will use the stopwatch to keep the time.
After you
have read the six pages you will stop and write down your time on a
piece of
paper and place the car on the red light. Then you will read the
same
pages again and if your time has improved, you will move the car to the
yellow
light and so on. The car only moves if you increase your
speed. You
will continue reading the six pages until your car reaches the end of
the track
and you can "finish!" The students should take turns reading to
one
another.

7.
Observe the students participation in the repeated
readings by walking around the classroom and listening to their fluency
develop
with each repeated reading.

8. After
each student has read their favorite pages
enough times to reach the finish line on
the "race track" progress chart, the students will respond to questions
to
check for understanding and comprehension.

Comprehension
questions:

1. What size dogs are in the
book?

2. What color are the dogs in
the book?

3. Where are the dogs
going?

4. What hat did the dog like
at the end of the book?

9. Pass
out a piece of construction paper, box of
crayons, and a pencil to each student. "Now everyone is going to
draw and
color a picture of their favorite dog in the book. Underneath
your
picture write a sentence explaining what your dog is doing in the
picture. We will display each of your pictures and sentences on
our
reading bulletin board!"

10. "As
you draw and color your picture, I am going to
call you up to my desk one at a time so that you can prove to me how
smoothly
and quickly you can read your favorite pages in the book Go, Dog.
Go!"

11. In
order to assess each student's reading fluency,
let them individually complete a one-minute read by rereading a few
pages from Go,
Dog. Go! aloud to the teacher. A one-minute read is a fluency
checking activity in which a student reads aloud to the teacher for one
minute
which is timed by a stopwatch. The teacher has a progress chart
for each
student. It is the students' goal to move from the beginning
point on the
progress chart up to the ending point on the progress chart. If
the
student reads more fluently, the object will move up the progress
chart. While the student is reading the book, note reading
miscues.
Also collect each student's "race track" progress chart to assess
how
quickly the student read six pages with his or her partner.

12.
After each student has completed a one-minute read
with the teacher, review the meaning of a fluent reader with the class
and give
the students their homework assignment. "Today we have learned
how to
become a fluent reader. At home tonight I want you to reread Go,
Dog.
Go! to a parent or older sibling so that they can enjoy the book
while you
show them how to read fluently."